Print control apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a determination unit, a decision unit, and a print control unit. The determination unit determines, before a start of printing of a print job, whether the print job is to be printed on a second continuous sheet during execution of the printing of the print job. The decision unit decides, in a case where the determination unit determines that the print job is to be printed on the second continuous sheet, a print order of printing the print job on a first and the second continuous sheet in a manner such that sheets on which printing has been executed and are discharged are arranged according to page order. The print control unit causes a print unit to execute the printing on the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheet based on the print job in accordance with the print order decided by the decision unit.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/957,199, filed on Nov. 30, 2010, which claims priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2010-041654, filed Feb. 26, 2010, all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a print control apparatus and methodfor performing a print by using a continuous sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a typical print apparatus where images are printed on both sides of acontinuous sheet such as roll paper, a print is performed on one side ofthe continuous sheet introduced into a print unit and the continuoussheet is cut and temporarily wound up. The continuous sheet isintroduced into the print unit again to perform a print on the otherside (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-249346). To perform anefficient print in such a print apparatus, a print is performed in suchan order that the print on one side is continuously performed for aplurality of pages, and once the print on the one side for all the pagesis ended, the print on the other side is performed.

In a case where the print is performed in such an order, a page order isdecided so that a print order becomes the above-described order.However, when an interruption factor occurs such as running out of paperwhile the print on one side is being performed, the print is ended atthe time point, and the print on the one side for the remaining pagesand the print on the other side for all the pages are not performed. Inthis way, in a case where the print is ended in mid-course, it isnecessary to start the print again from the beginning, which isinefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment provides an apparatus having a determination unitconfigured to determine, before a start of printing of a print job,whether the print job is to be printed on a second continuous sheet,which is different from a first continuous sheet, during execution ofthe printing of the print job, a decision unit configured to decide, ina case where the determination unit determines, before the start of theprinting of the print job, that the print job is to be printed on thesecond continuous sheet during execution of the printing of the printjob, a print order of printing the print job on the first continuoussheet and a print order of printing the print job on the secondcontinuous sheet in a manner such that sheets on which printing has beenexecuted and are discharged are arranged according to page order, and aprint control unit configured to cause a print unit to execute theprinting on the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheetbased on the print job in accordance with the print order decided by thedecision unit.

Further features will become apparent from the following description ofexemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of an image forming apparatusaccording to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration related to acontrol on the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrate arrangements of images in a case where a printis performed on both sides of a continuous sheet.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a processing flow in a case where the print isperformed on both sides of the continuous sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to thedrawings. It is noted that relative arrangements of respectivecomponents of an apparatus used in this embodiment, an apparatus shape,and the like are only for purposes of illustration and not limitation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic configuration of an image formingapparatus which is an example of a print control apparatus according tothe present embodiment. The image forming apparatus of FIG. 1 having aprint function of printing data received from an external apparatus onlyis illustrated, but the embodiment is not limited to this. An apparatusfunctioning as a copier which is further provided with a readingapparatus for reading an image on an original or a multifunctionalapparatus added with other functions may also be applied.

Also, an example will be described in which a roll sheet is used as arecording material (recorded medium or recording sheet) on which a printprocessing is performed. This roll sheet is an example of a continuoussheet, but for the continuous sheet, a sheet other than the sheet woundinto a roll may also be used. Also, a cut of the continuous sheet may beautomatically performed by the image forming apparatus or may be cutwhile a user issues a manual instruction. A material of the recordingmaterial is not limited to paper, and various materials can be used aslong as a print processing can be performed. Also, the image formingapparatus is not only designed to perform a print on the continuoussheet. An image forming apparatus capable of also performing a print ona cut sheet obtained by previously cutting a sheet into a predeterminedsize may be applied.

Also, a print system is not limited to a print of an image based on aninkjet system using liquid ink for image printing which will bedescribed below. For a recording agent applied to the recordingmaterial, solid ink may be used, and various systems such as anelectrophotography system using toner, a sublimation system, a thermaltransfer system, and a dot impact system can be adopted. Also, the imageforming apparatus is not only designed to perform a color recordingusing recording agents of a plurality of colors. A monochrome recordingonly based on black (including gray) may be performed. Also, the printis not limited to a print of a visible image and may be a print ofinvisible image or an image that is hard to be visually recognized.Also, other than general images, the print may be a print of variousimages such as, for example, a wiring pattern, a physical pattern inparts manufacturing, and a base sequence of DNA. In other words, theembodiment can be applied to recording apparatuses of various types aslong as the recording agent can be applied on the recording material.

Also, in a case where the operation of the print processing in the imageforming apparatus is performed on the basis of the instruction from theexternal apparatus connected to the image forming apparatus of FIG. 1,this external apparatus functions as the print control apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an outline of an entireconfiguration of the image forming apparatus using a roll sheet(continuous sheet having a size longer than a length of a print unit(one page) in a conveying direction) as the recording material. Theimage forming apparatus includes the following components 101 to 115,and these components are arranged in a single housing. It is howevernoted that a configuration may also be adopted that these components areseparately arranged in a plurality of housings.

A control unit 108 has a built-in control unit provided with acontroller (including a central processing unit (CPU) or amicroprocessor unit (MPU)), an output device for user interfaceinformation (generator for display information, sound information, orthe like), and various input/output (I/O) interfaces and is configuredto govern various controls on the entire image forming apparatus.

The image forming apparatus is provided with two sheet cassettesincluding an upper stage sheet cassette 101 a and a lower stage sheetcassette 101 b as a unit arranged to hold and supply the roll sheet. Auser puts the roll sheet (hereinafter, which will be referred to assheet) in a magazine and then loads the magazine into the image formingapparatus main body. The sheet pulled out from the upper stage sheetcassette 101 a is conveyed in an “a” direction in the drawing, and thesheet pulled out from the lower stage sheet cassette 101 b is conveyedin a “b” direction in the drawing. The sheets from either cassettetravel in a “c” direction and reach a conveyance unit 102. Theconveyance unit 102 conveys the sheet via a plurality of rotatingrollers 104 in a “d” direction (horizontal direction) during the printprocessing. When the sheet cassette at a supply source is switched fromone to the other, the already pulled-out sheet is rewound into thecassette, and from the cassette in which a sheet to be newly supplied isset, the sheet is newly supplied.

On an upper side of the conveyance unit 102, a head unit 105 is arrangedso as to face the conveyance unit 102. In the head unit 105, independentprint heads 106 for a plurality of colors (seven colors according to thepresent embodiment) are held along the conveying direction. In thepresent example, seven print heads corresponding to the seven colorsincluding C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), LC (light cyan), LM (lightmagenta), G (gray), and K (black) are provided. Of course, print headsfor colors other than these may also be used, and it is not necessary touse all the print heads for the seven colors.

The present image forming apparatus forms an image on the sheet byejecting the ink from the print heads 106 in synchronism with theconveyance of the sheet by the conveyance unit 102. It is noted that theprint heads 106 are arranged at positions where ejection destinations ofthe ink are not overlapped with the rotating rollers 104. Instead ofdirectly ejecting the ink onto the sheet, the ink may be used forforming the image by applying the ink onto an intermediate transfermember and then applying the ink onto the sheet.

The unit for the print according to the present embodiment is composedby including the conveyance unit 102, the head unit 105, and the printheads 106 described above.

Ink tanks 109 independently store the ink of the respective colors. Fromthe ink tanks 109, the ink is supplied to sub tanks provided so as tocorrespond to the respective colors by tubes, and from the sub tanks tothe respective print heads 106, the ink is supplied via the tubes.

For the print heads 106, along the conveying direction at the time ofthe print, that is, the “d” direction, line heads of the respectivecolors (seven colors according to the present embodiment) are disposed.The line heads of the respective colors may be formed by a seamlesssingle nozzle chip or formed by disposing divided nozzle chips in lineor regularly like a zigzag alignment. According to the presentembodiment, a so-called full multi head is adopted in which the nozzlesare disposed in a range covering a width of a print area of the sheet atthe maximum size that can be used by the present apparatus. The inkjetsystem for ejecting the ink from the nozzles can adopt a system using aheater element, a system using a piezo-electric element, a system usingan electrostatic element, a system using an MEMS element, and the like.The ink is ejected from the nozzles of the respective heads on the basisof print data, but a timing for the ejection is decided by an outputsignal of a conveyance encoder 103.

After the image is formed on the sheet, the sheet is conveyed from theconveyance unit 102 to a scanner unit 107. The scanner unit 107optically reads the printed image or special pattern on the sheet toperform a check whether the printed image has a problem, a check on astate of the present apparatus including an ejection state of the ink,and the like. For the check method for the printed image, the ejectionstate of the ink may be checked by reading a pattern for checking thestate of the head or by checking a success or failure of the printthrough a comparison with the original image. The check method can beappropriately selected from various methods.

The sheet is conveyed from the vicinity of the scanner unit 107 in an“e” direction and introduced into the cutter unit 110. A cutter unit 110cuts the sheet for a predetermined print unit length each. Thispredetermined print unit length varies in accordance with a size of theimage to be printed. For example, in an L-print photo size, the lengthof the conveying direction is 135 mm, and an A4 size, the length of theconveying direction is 297 mm. In the case of a simplex print, thecutter unit 110 cuts the sheet in page unit, but depending on a contentof a print job, the cutter unit 110 may not cut the sheet in page unitin some cases. Also, in the case of a duplex print, the cutter unit 110does not cut on a first face of the sheet (face on which the print isperformed first: for example, front face) in page unit and then cuts ona second face (face on which the print is performed afterwards: forexample, back face) in page unit in a case where the images arecontinuously printed for a predetermined length. It is noted that thecutter unit 110 is not limited to a cutter unit for cutting the sheetfor each image on one piece at the time of the simplex print or the backface print of the duplex print. The cut is not performed until the sheetis conveyed for a predetermined length, and after the sheet is conveyedfor the predetermined length, the sheet is cut, and a cut and separationfor each image on one sheet (one page) may also be performed by anothercutter apparatus through a manual operation or the like. Also, withregard to a width direction of the sheet, in a case where a cut isnecessary, the sheet is cut by using another cutter apparatus.

The sheet conveyed from the cutter unit 110 is conveyed in an “f”direction in the drawing in the unit and conveyed into a back faceprinting unit 111. In a case where the image is printed only on one sideof the sheet, the back face printing unit 111 is a unit arranged toprint predetermined information on the back face of the sheet. Theinformation printed on the back face of the sheet includes informationsuch as a character, a symbol, or a code corresponding to each printedimage (for example, order management number or the like). In a casewhere the print heads 106 prints the images for the print job of theduplex print, the back face printing unit 111 prints the above-describedinformation in an area other than the area in which the print heads 106prints the images. The back face printing unit 111 can adopt systemssuch as impress of the recording agent, thermal transfer, and theinkjet.

The sheet passing through the back face printing unit 111 is conveyed toa drying unit 112 next. The drying unit 112 is a unit arranged to heatthe sheet passing through in a “g” direction in the drawing in the unitby warm wind (heated gaseous matter (air)) to dry the sheet on which theink is applied in a short period of time. It is noted that for thedrying method, instead of using the warm wind, various methods can alsobe adopted such as use of cool wind, warming by a heater, natural dryingonly based on stand-by, and irradiation of radio waves such asultraviolet radiation. The sheets cut at the print unit length passthrough within the drying unit 112 one sheet each and conveyed in an “h”direction in the drawing to a sorting unit 114.

The sorting unit 114 holds a plurality of trays (18 trays according tothe present embodiment) and sorts out a trays at a discharge destinationof the sheet in accordance with the print unit length or the like. Therespective trays are allocated with tray numbers. In the sorting unit114, the sheet passing through within the unit in an “i” direction inthe drawing is discharged into a tray corresponding to a tray number setfor each printed image while it is checked on a free space in the trayor whether the sheets are fully loaded by sensors provided on therespective trays. With regard to the tray serving as the dischargedestination of the cut sheet, a particular tray is specified by anissuing source of the print job (host apparatus) in some cases, and atray with a free space is arbitrarily specified on the image formingapparatus side in some cases. The sheets can be discharged up to apreviously decided number into one tray. In the case of the print jobexceeding this previously decided number of sheets, the sheets aredischarged into a plurality of trays. The number, size, type, and thelike of sheets that can be discharged to the tray vary depending on asize (type) or the like of the tray. In FIG. 1, in a group of traysdisposed vertically (up and down) (hereinafter, which will be referredto as large trays), both sheets having a large size (larger than theL-print size such as the A4 size) and a small size (L-print size) can bedischarged. Also, in a group of trays disposed horizontally (left andright) (hereinafter, which will be referred to as small trays), thedischarge of the sheets having the small size (L-print size) can becarried out but the discharge of the sheets having the large size cannotbe carried out. Then, the number of output sheets that can be dischargedis larger in the large trays than the small trays.

Also, a state in which the sheet is being discharged, the discharge iscompleted, or the like can be identified by the user by using a displaydevice (for example, using an LED or the like). For example, a pluralityof LEDs that emit light in different mutually different colors areprovided in the respective trays, and depending on a color, a lightingstate, a flashing state, and the like of the lighting LED, the user canbe notified of various states of the respective trays.

Also, each of the plurality of trays can be assigned with a prioritysequence, and when the print job is executed, the image formingapparatus allocates the trays with the free space (where the sheet doesnot exist) as the sheet discharge destination while following an orderof the priority sequences. By default, for the large trays, the tray onthe upper side has a higher priority sequence, and for the small trays,the tray on the further left side has a higher priority sequence. Also,the priority sequences of the small trays are higher than the prioritysequences of the large trays. With regard to this priority sequence, thepriority sequence of the tray at a location where the user can easilytake out the sheets may be previously higher. Also, the prioritysequence may be appropriately changed by an operation of the user or thelike.

A sheet winding-up unit 113 winds up the sheet which is not cut for eachpage and on which the print is performed on the front face. At the timeof the duplex print, first, the sheet on which the image formation isperformed on the front face is not cut by the cutter unit 110 in pageunit and the sheet is cut after the continuous print on the front faceis ended. The sheet on which the print is performed on the front facepasses through within the unit in a “j” direction in the drawing andwound up by the sheet winding-up unit 113. Then, after the imageformation on the front face for a series of pages is ended, the wound-upsheet is conveyed in a “k” direction in the drawing in the unit againwhile a face opposite to the last front face is set as a printable face,in other words, the face facing the print heads 106 is reversed. Withthe above-described conveyance, the print of the image is performed onthe back face which is opposite to the last front face. In the case ofthe normal simplex print, the sheet on which the image is printed isconveyed to the sorting unit 114 without the winding-up by the sheetwinding-up unit 113.

In this manner, at the time of the duplex print, the winding-up of thesheet is performed by using the sheet winding-up unit 113, and the sheetis reversed to perform the print on the back face. Thus, the faces ofthe sheet vary at the time of the discharge into the sorting unit 114 atthe time of the simplex print and at the time of the duplex print. Thatis, in the case of the simplex print, the reverse of the sheet using thesheet winding-up unit 113 is not performed, and the sheet on which theimage on the first page is printed is therefore discharged in a state inwhich the image on the first page is facing down. Then, in the case of ajob where one print job exists for a plurality of pages, from the sheeton the first page, the sheet is discharged into the tray. After that,the sheets are sequentially discharged on subsequent pages, and thesheets are stacked up. The above-described discharge is referred to asface-down discharge. On the other hand, in the case of the duplex print,the reverse of the sheet using the sheet winding-up unit 113 isperformed, and the sheet on which the image on the first page is printedis therefore discharged in a state in which the image on the first pageis facing up. Then, in the case of a job where one print job is foroutputting a plurality of sheets, from the sheet including the lastpage, the sheet is discharged. After that, the sheets onsmaller-numbered pages are sequentially discharged, and the sheets arestacked up. Finally, the sheet on which the image on the first page isprinted is discharged. The above-described discharge is referred to asface-up discharge.

An operation unit 115 is a unit for performing various operations by theuser and notifying the user of various pieces of information. Forexample, it is possible to check a print status for each order such asin which tray specified by the user the sheet on which the image isprinted is stacked or whether the image is being printed or the print isended. Also, the user can operation/check the operation unit for a checkon various states of the apparatus such as the remaining amount of inkand the remaining number of sheets and an instruction of an execution ofan apparatus maintenance such as a head cleaning.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for describing a configuration related to acontrol in the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1. An imageforming apparatus 200 is the image forming apparatus illustrated inFIG. 1. It is however noted that the following configuration is anexample, and various modifications can be realized.

A central processing unit (CPU) 201, a read only memory (ROM) 202, arandom access memory (RAM) 203, an image processing unit 207, an enginecontrol unit 208, and a scanner control unit 209 are mainly included inthe control unit 108. Then, a hard disk drive (HDD) 204, an operationunit 206, an external interface (I/F) 205, and the like are connected tothe control unit 108 via a system bus 210.

The CPU 201 is a central processing unit having a mode of a microprocessor (micro computer) and is included in the control unit 108 ofFIG. 1. The CPU 201 controls an operation of the entire image formingapparatus 200 on the basis of an execution of a program or an activationof hardware. The ROM 202 stores the program executed by the CPU 201 andfixed data necessary for various operations of the image formingapparatus 200. The RAM 203 is used as a work area for the CPU 201 and asa temporary storage area for various pieces of reception data and storesvarious pieces of setting data. The HDD 204 can store the programexecuted by the CPU 201, the print data, and setting informationnecessary for the various operations of the image forming apparatus 200in a built-in hard disk or read out the data. It is noted that insteadof the HDD 204, another large capacity storage apparatus may also beadopted.

The operation unit 206 includes a hard key and a touch panel for theuser to perform various operations and a display unit for presenting(notifying) the user of various pieces of information and corresponds tothe operation unit 115 of FIG. 1. Also, the presentation of theinformation to the user can also be performed by outputting a sound(buzzer, voice, or the like) on the basis of sound information from asound generator.

The image processing unit 207 performs an image processing or arendering (conversion) into image data (bitmap image) of the print data(for example, data represented in page description language) dealt withby the image forming apparatus 200. A color space (for example, YCbCr)of the image data included in the input print data is converted into astandard RGB color space (for example, sRGB). Also, various imageprocessings including a resolution conversion into effective number ofpixels (at which the image forming apparatus 200 can perform the printprocessing), an image analysis, an image correction, and the like areapplied as needed on the image data. The image data obtained throughthese image processings is stored in the RAM 203 or the HDD 204.

The engine control unit 208 performs a control on a processing ofprinting the image based on the print data on the sheet in accordance ofa control command received from the CPU 201 or the like. An ink ejectioninstruction to the print heads 106 of the respective colors, an ejectiontiming setting for adjusting dot positions (ink impact positions) on therecording medium, an adjustment based on an obtainment of a head drivestate, or the like, are performed. In accordance with the print data, adrive control on the print head is performed, the ink is ejected fromthe print head, and the image is formed on the sheet. Also, a driveinstruction of a pulling-out roller for pulling out the sheet, a driveinstruction of a conveyance roller for conveying the pulled-out sheet,an obtainment of a rotation situation of the conveyance roller, and thelike are performed, so that a control on the conveyance roller isperformed, and the sheet is conveyed at an appropriate speed in anappropriate path and stopped.

The scanner control unit 209 controls an image sensor in accordance witha control command received from the CPU 201 or the like to read theimage on the sheet and obtains analog luminance data or red (R), green(G), and blue (B) to be converted into digital data. For the imagesensor, a CCD image sensor, a CMOS image sensor, or the like can beadopted. Also, the image sensor may be a linear image sensor or an areaimage sensor. Also, the scanner control unit 209 obtains a situation ofthe image sensor on the basis of a drive instruction and the drive ofthe image sensor, analyzes luminance data obtained from the imagesensor, and performs detections of non-ejection of the ink from theprint heads 106, cut positions of sheet, and the like. The sheet inwhich it is determined that the image is correctly printed by thescanner control unit 209 is subjected to a drying processing for the inkon the sheet and then discharged into the specified tray of the sortingunit.

A host apparatus 211 is an apparatus which corresponds to theabove-described external apparatus, is connected to an external part ofthe present image forming apparatus 200, and functions as a supplysource of the image data for the image forming apparatus 200 to performthe print and issues orders of various print jobs.

The host apparatus 211 may be realized by a general-use personalcomputer (PC) or a data supply apparatus of another type. The datasupply apparatus of the other type includes an image capturing apparatusfor capturing an image and generate image data. The image capturingapparatus is a reader (scanner) for reading an image on an original andgenerating image data, a film scanner for reading a negative film or apositive film and generating image data, or the like. Also, otherexamples of the image capturing apparatus include a digital camera forpicking up a still image and generating digital image data and a digitalvideo camera for picking up a movie and generating moving image data. Inaddition, such a configuration may be adopted that a photo storage isinstalled on the network, or the image forming apparatus may have asocket to which a detachably attachable portable memory is inserted isprovided. Thus, an image file stored in the photo storage or theportable memory is read out to be generated into the image data for theprint. Also, various data supply apparatuses may be adopted such as adedicated-use terminal for the present image forming apparatus insteadof the general-use PC. Each of these data supply apparatuses may be acomponent of the image forming apparatus or another apparatus connectedto the external part of the image forming apparatus. Also, in a casewhere the host apparatus 211 is composed of a PC, in a storage apparatusof the PC, an OS, application software for generating the image data,and a printer driver for the image forming apparatus 200 are installed.The printer driver controls the present image forming apparatus 200 orconverts the image data supplied from the application software into aformat that can be dealt with by the image forming apparatus 200 togenerate the print data. Also, the conversion from the print data to theimage data may be performed on the host apparatus 211 side and then thedata may be supplied to the image forming apparatus 200. It is notedthat it is not necessary to realize all the above-described processingsby using software, and a part or all of the processings may be realizedby using hardware. The image data supplied from the host apparatus 211,other commands, and further, status signals, and the like can betransmitted and received via the external I/F 205 with the image formingapparatus 200. The external I/F 205 may be a local I/F or a network I/F.Also, the external I/F 205 may have a wired connection or wirelessconnection.

The above-described respective components in the image forming apparatus200 are connected via the system bus 210 and can be mutuallycommunicated.

It is noted that in the above-described example, one CPU 201 controlsall the components in the image forming apparatus 200 illustrated inFIG. 2, but a configuration other than this may also be adopted. Thatis, some of the respective functional blocks are separately providedwith CPUs, and the respective CPUs may perform an individual control.Also, the respective functional blocks can adopt various modes in whichfunctional blocks are appropriately divided into the individualprocessing unit and control unit on the basis a manner of the burdenshare other than the configuration illustrated in FIG. 2, and some ofthe functional blocks are integrated. Also, for the reading of the datafrom the memory, a DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) can be used.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are explanatory diagrams for describing a print order ina case where the print is performed on both faces of the roll sheet bythe image forming apparatus 200. FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrate the images onthe respective pages arranged without gaps, but margins may be providedbetween the respective pages. That is, hereinafter, the continuous printof a plurality of images includes a print providing a margin between animage and another image and refers to a continued print in which thesheet is not cut in mid-course. Also, in FIGS. 3A to 3C, the image onone page is arranged on the respective faces of the one sheet dischargedinto the tray, but the images on a plurality of pages may be arranged onthe same face.

First, the print data for 14 pages are input from the host apparatus 211in an order of page numbers 1, 2, 3, . . . , 13, and 14 together with aduplex print specification information to the image forming apparatus200 via the external I/F 205. Herein, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, whilefollowing the page order, the printed images are arranged alternately onthe front face (first face) and the back face (second face=oppositeface) (odd-numbered pages on the front face, and even-numbered pages onthe back face). It is noted that the arrangement of the respective pagesvaries depending on a content of the instructed print. That is, in acase where a bookbinding print is instructed, for example, the last page(herein, page 14) is arranged on the back face on page 1, which is adifferent arrangement from that of FIG. 3A. Herein, an example will bedescribed in a case where the print is instructed in the arrangementillustrated in FIG. 3A.

Typically, in a case where the duplex print using the cut sheet isperformed, while following the input page order, the print is performedin the order of 1 (front), 2 (back), 3 (front), . . . , 13 (front), and14 (back). However, as the present image forming apparatus 200 uses theroll sheet, after the print on the front face, it is necessary to cutthe sheet. Then, after the sheet is wound up, the sheet is reversed, andthen the print on the back face is performed. For that reason, it takesmuch time to perform the print if one sheet is completed for the frontface and the back face each time. Thus, in a case where the presentimage forming apparatus 200 performs the print on both sides of the rollsheet, the print is all performed on the front face on a series ofpages, and then the sheet winding-up and cut are performed. Then, theremaining print on the back face is continuously performed on thereversed sheet. Then, each time the print on the back face is performedfor one page, the continuous sheet is cut for one sheet piece. Accordingto this, it is not necessary to reserve the sheet each time the print onone face is performed for one page, and the print time can be shortened.That is, when the present image forming apparatus 200 accepts a printjob, while following a content of the job, in order to execute the jobefficiently, a scheduling on the order of the images to be printed onthe respective faces of the sheet is carried out.

A general flow of the sequence from the input of the print data to theprint processing when the print is performed on both sides of the rollsheet will be described.

First, the CPU 201 temporarily stores the print data input in theabove-described page order in the HDD 204. Then, herein, as the duplexprint for the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3A is instructed, the CPU201 decides a print order as 1 (front), 3 (front), . . . , 13 (front),14 (back), 12 (back), . . . , and 2 (back) (the front face is for theascending order, and the back face is for the descending order). Thisprint order is different in the arrangement order from the order inwhich the print data is input (page order). Next, the CPU 201 suppliesthe print data of the respective pages to the image processing unit 207while following the above-described decided print order. The imageprocessing unit 207 performs a conversion into a format in which theprint processing on the print data on the front face can be performed(rendering processing into the image data) and stores this image data inthe HDD 204. Then, the generated image data is supplied to the enginecontrol unit 208 in the above-described page order. At this time, theengine control unit 208 is notified of the image data for printing onwhich face of the sheet, the page number, and the information with whichthe print job can be identified together with the image data.

The engine control unit 208 receiving this image data supplies the sheetfrom a sheet cassette 101 a or 101 b that holds sheets in accordancewith the size of the image to be printed. Then, the engine control unit208 causes the conveyance unit 102 to convey the sheet to a printposition by the head unit 105 for sequentially performing the print ofthe image based on the image data on the front face of the sheet toconvey the sheet to a reading position by the scanner unit 107. It ischecked whether the image is correctly printed on the basis of a contentof the image data obtained by reading the printed image by the scannerunit 107, and the sheet is conveyed to the cutter unit 110. At thistime, in a case where it is checked that the image is correctly printed,without the cutting by the cutter unit 110 in page unit, the sheetpasses with the drying unit 112 to be subjected to the ink dryingprocessing while keeping a state the sheet on which the pages areprinted onto the front face is not cut, and the winding-up is performedby the sheet winding-up unit 113. On the other hand, in a case where itis checked that the image is not correctly printed, the CPU 201 causesthe cutter unit 110 to cut the sheet so that the page where the image isnot correctly printed is to be discharged. Then, this cut sheet isdischarged into a tray for rejected items among the respective trays ofthe sorting unit 114 (for example, a tray located at a lowermost part).Then, in order to perform the print again for the sheet where the printis not correctly performed, the CPU 201 supplies the engine control unit208 with the image data again to repeatedly perform the subsequentprocessings described above.

As described above, when it is checked that the images on the respectivepages where the print on the front face is instructed are correctlyprinted, the CPU 201 causes the cutter unit 110 as needed to cut thesheet where the print on the front face is already performed andsubsequently performs the print processing on the back face. At thistime, the print data on the front face still remains in the HDD 204.While following the print order decided in the above-described manner,the CPU 201 supplies the print data of the respective pages on the backface to the image processing unit 207. The image processing unit 207converts the print data on the back face in a format in which the printprocessing can be performed (rendering processing into the image data)and stores the obtained image data in the HDD 204. At this time,depending on a content of the print instruction, the image data may berotated by 180 degrees in some cases. Then, the generated image data issupplied to the engine control unit 208 the above-described page order.Herein also, as in the front face, the engine control unit 208 isnotified of the image data for printing on which face of the sheet, thepage number, and the information with which the print job can beidentified together with the image data.

The engine control unit 208 conveys the sheet where the images arealready printed on the front face which is wound up by the sheetwinding-up unit 113 to the conveyance unit 102 again, and the print isstarted sequentially from the last page on the back face. It is notedthat when the print is performed on the back face of the sheet, theconveyance is started from the side cut by the cutter unit 110 from thesheet winding-up unit 113, and the back face is set to face the headunit 105 side. When the sheet is conveyed to the print position by thehead unit 105, the engine control unit 208 sequentially prints theimages on the page where the print instruction for the back face existson the back face of the images on the corresponding front face. Then, asin the front face, it is checked whether the print is correctlyperformed by the scanner unit 107, and also the sheet is cut by thecutter unit 110 in page unit. Then, if it is checked that the print iscorrectly performed, the cut sheet passes through the drying unit 112and is subjected to the ink drying processing. Then, the sheet issequentially conveyed to the sorting unit 114 and discharged into thespecified tray. At this time, from the last sheet (in FIG. 3A, the sheetwhere page 13 and page 14 are printed), the sheets are discharged intothe tray. Thus, in face-up (state in which the images on the front faceare facing upward), sequentially, the sheets where the smaller-numberedpages are arranged are discharged. With this configuration, the sheetsare stacked up in the correct order, and it is therefore not necessaryfor the user to perform the rearrangement. It is noted that in the smalltray located in an upper part of the sorting unit 114, the sheets arestacked while being standing up, but still the sheets are dischargedsequentially so that the page numbers become smaller, and the sheets arestacked in the correct order. Then, herein, up to the permissible numberof sheets for the tray, all the sheets are discharged into the sametray. This is because the printed products based on one print job(order) are discharged into the same tray as much as possible. It ishowever noted that the printed products based on the job exceeding thepermissible number of sheets for the tray are discharged into anothertray. On the other hand, on the basis of the scanner unit 107, in a casewhere it is checked that the images on the back face is not correctlyprinted, the cut sheet is discharged into the tray for rejected items.Then, the image on the front face of the opposite face held in the HDD204 and the images on the back face are printed again. Herein, a detailof the processing for the reprint for the images on both faces will beomitted.

As described above, a plurality of images that should be arranged on thefirst face are continuously printed, and after the completion of theprint of all the images expected at one time on the first face, theprint of the images on the second face is continuously performed thatshould be arranged on the opposite face to the images already printed onthe first face. With this configuration, the series of printed produceswhere the instructed duplex print is performed are completed.

The above-described procedure is for a case in which the sufficientsheets and ink exist for printing the images on both faces on the seriesof pages in a unit where the print is performed at one time (theprinting is not interrupted during the series of pages are printed). Inthis manner, in a case where the print on the first face is continuouslyperformed first and the print on the opposite face is continuouslyperformed next, it is sometimes necessary to interrupt the printingbecause of an error or the like. The interruption factors includes, forexample, occurrence of an interrupt print due to another print job,shortage of sheets, jam of the sheet, and shortage of the ink.Hereinafter, a print procedure in such a case will be described.

FIG. 3B illustrates a print order in a case where the interruptionoccurs before the print for a series of expected pages on the front faceis interrupted because of some interruption factor (for example, thefactor described above). Herein also, an example will be described in acase where the print instruction itself instructs to performs thearrangement illustrated in FIG. 3A. Then, it is assumed that the printis correctly performed up to page 5 (front) (the third sheet in sheetunit to be cut), and the interruption factor occurs.

When the interruption factor occurs, the engine control unit 208notifies the CPU 201 of an interruption position (the print has beenperformed up to which page, the print has not been performed from whichpage, or the like). The CPU 201 receiving this notification changes theprint order and executes the print of the images on the opposite face soas not to wave the part where the images on the front face are alreadycorrectly printed.

When the interruption factor occurs, the CPU 201 causes the cutter unit110 to cut the sheet to separate the part up to the page where the printis correctly performed from the subsequent part. It is however notedthat in a case where the interruption factor is the sheet shortage, thecut of the sheet at this point may not be performed in some cases. Then,the winding-up of the sheet by the sheet winding-up unit 113 iscompleted to stand by. After this, in a case where the standing-by sheetprint job is not resumed and an instruction for cancelling is issued,the CPU 201 causes the wound-up sheet to be directly discharged into thetray for rejected products.

When the interruption factor is removed and the resumption of the printis instructed (or the removal of the interruption factor is detected),first, the CPU 201 changes the print order of 1 (front), 3 (front), . .. , 13 (front), 14 (back), 12 (back), . . . , and 2 (back) decided inthe above in the following manner. That is, the already printed pagesare skipped to change (reschedule) the print order into 6 (back), 4(back), 2 (back), 7 (front), 9 (front), 11 (front), 13 (front), 14(back), 12 (back), 10 (back), and 8 (back).

It is noted that the interruption factor may be the ink shortage in somecases. Herein, even in the case of the interruption due to the inkshortage, the print order is changed in the above-described manner, butafter the short supply ink is filled, the print may also be resumeddirectly without changing the print order. Also, in the case of thesheet jam, various recovery processings are performed, but a descriptionthereof will be omitted herein. Also, in the case of the interruptprint, the sheet for the previous print job stands by in a state ofbeing wound up by the sheet winding-up unit 113, and thus, only theinterrupt based on the simplex print is permitted. The print productsbased on the interrupt print are discharged into a tray different fromthe tray for the print products based on the print job described herein.

When the print order is changed as described above, the CPU 201 causesthe engine control unit 208 to instruct the conveyance unit 102 toconvey the sheet where the images are already printed on the front facewhich is wound up by the sheet winding-up unit 113 again for executingthe print on the back face while following the newly decided printorder. Other than the point where the print order is changed, theprocessing is performed similarly as in the example of FIG. 3A, and whenthe print on the back face (up to page 2) and the cut for each page isended, the sheets are discharged into the tray of the sorting unit 114.

Then, the CPU 201 performs the print for page 7 and subsequent pages andcauses the engine control unit 208 to prepare for the image data andalso newly start the sheet conveyance. The new sheet is supplied fromthe cassette different from the previously used cassette among the sheetcassette 101 a or 101 b or supplied from the same cassette (in somecases, after a roll sheet is newly set). Then, the print after theinterruption position in FIG. 3B is executed in a similar procedure tothe example of FIG. 3A. It is however noted that with regard to thesheet discharge herein, the sheets after the interruption position aredischarged into a tray from the tray for the previous three sheets(where the images on pages 1 to 6 are printed) among the plurality oftrays of the sorting unit 114. In other words, although these are theprinted products based on one print job (order), the sheets before andafter the interruption are discharged into mutually different trays.This is because, as described above, in the present image formingapparatus 200, as the sheets are discharged in the order from the sheetfor the large-numbered page to the sheets for the smaller-number pages,after the first sheet, the fourth sheet is discharged, the order isvaried, and a situation is avoided in which the rearrangement by theuser becomes bothersome. Therefore, herein, even before exceeding themaximum number of sheets that can be discharged for the tray at thedischarge destination prior to the interruption, the sheets after theinterruption are discharged into a different tray. In this case, such asetting is preferably adopted that the tray for discharging the sheetsafter the interruption is set as a tray closer to the tray fordischarging the sheets before the interruption as much as possible forfacilitating the operation by the user. Also, at this time, the LEDsprovided to the plurality of trays in which the printed products basedon one print job are discharged emit light in a same color. According tothis, the user can easily recognize that the printed productsrespectively discharged into the plurality of trays are based on oneprint job. It is noted that other than the configuration in which theLEDs provided to the respective trays emit the light in the same color,through another method (for example, display to the operation unit 206),the user may be notified that the outputs based on one print job aredischarged into a plurality of trays.

As described above, during the printing of the series of pages (duringthe printing of the series of pages on the front face), even in a casewhere the interruption factor occurs, the sheets on which the images areprinted on the front face are not wasted, the print is switched to theprint on the back face, and it is possible to print the images on theopposite face corresponding to the already printed images. Then, theremaining print can be appropriately continued. Furthermore, the sheetswhere the images are printed on the first face (where the images areprinted also on the second face) which are cut before the interruptionfactor occurs and the sheets where the images are printed on the firstface and the second face which are cut after the interruption factoroccurs are discharged into different discharge destinations, so thatthose sheets are not mixed. That is, as the sheet groups having mutuallydifferent arrangement order are stacked and discharged into the samedischarge destination, it is possible to prevent the trouble for theuser to perform the rearrangement through the manual operation.

Also, in a case where the interruption factor occurs as described above,the occurrence of the interruption factor due to the sheet shortage canbe previously predicted (before the execution of the print job) in somecases. Hereinafter, the processing in that case will be described.

First, the amount (length) of sheet used in the series of print jobs isdetermined. This determination is performed on the basis of the size ofthe image specified in the print job, whether the duplex print isspecified, the number of pages for the print, and the like. Also, theremaining amount of the roll sheet set in the sheet cassette 101 a or101 b is determined. The remaining amount of the roll sheet can beestimated while the total amount of the sheet length when the roll sheetis newly set in the sheet cassette is stored in the RAM 203 and theconveyance encoder 103 sequentially stores the conveyance amount ofsheet in the RAM 203. That is, the current remaining amount can beestimated while the sheet amount conveyed so far is subtracted from thetotal amount of the sheet length of the set sheet. Also, instead ofthis, the remaining amount may be estimated on the basis of a diameter(or radius) of the roll sheet or the diameter (or radius) of the rollsheet and a type of the sheet. By comparing the amount of sheet used inthe print job determined in the above-described manner with theremaining number of sheets that should be used, it is possible todetermine whether the sheet shortage occurs during the printing of theprint job to be carried out after this and whether the print can beperformed up to which page. On the basis of this determination result,the print order is decided.

Herein, it is assumed that from the above, as illustrated in FIG. 3C,the CPU 201 determines that the interruption occurs because of the sheetshortage when the print is performed for the third sheet. In the exampleof FIG. 3B, the sheets are discharged into different trays before andafter the interruption, and herein, the print order is decided so thatthe sheet(s) after the interruption is (are) not discharged into thedifferent tray on the ground that the interruption occurs. That is, asillustrated in FIG. 3C, the print order is decided as 6 (front), 4(front), 2 (front), 1 (back), 3 (back), 5 (back), 14 (front), 12(front), 10 (front), 8 (front), 7 (back), 9 (back), 11 (back), and 13(back). This means that the arrangement of the front and back in FIG. 3Cis inverse to these in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The processing procedure for theprint is similar to those described in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and adescription thereof will be omitted herein. In this state, when theprocedure similar to those in FIGS. 3A and 3B is performed, the firstpage is facing downward (face-down), and subsequently, the sheetsincluding the following pages are stacked up. Therefore, before theduplex print is started, when it is determined that the interruptionfactor occurs and such a print order is set in advance, it is possibleto discharge the sheets without changing the trays before and after theinterruption while the user does not need to perform the rearrangement.With this configuration, the burden on the user can be alleviated. It ishowever noted that in a case where the sheets exceed the number ofsheets that can be discharged into one tray, the sheets are dischargedinto a different tray, but in this case too, the tray is preferablycloser to the previous tray as much as possible.

It is noted that in this case, as the arrangement of the front and backis inverse to those in FIGS. 3A and 3B, surface process states and thelike of the front face and the back face of the sheet are preferably thesame or the user preferably permits that the arrangement of the frontand back is inversed. The sheet process state for printing the images onthe front face may not be distinguished from the sheet process state forprinting the images on the back face.

Also, in the above description, at the time of the duplex print, in thenormal state, it is assumed that the face-up discharge is performed, buton the other hand, in the normal state, the face-down discharge may beperformed. In this case, the print order and the page arrangement orderin FIGS. 3A and 3B are inversed. That is, in the case of FIG. 3A, theprint order is set as 14 (back), 12 (back), . . . , 4 (back), 2 (back),1 (front), 3 (front), . . . , 11 (front), and 13 (front). In the case ofFIG. 3B, the print order is set as 14 (back), 12 (back), 10 (back),<interruption occurrence>, 9 (front), 11 (front), 13 (front), <traychange>, 8 (back), 6 (back), 4 (back), 2 (back), 1 (front), 3 (front), 5(front), and 7 (front). In the following too, in a case where theoutputs of the duplex print are discharged in the face-down state, thesetting for the print page order and the print face may be inversed.

In the light of the above description, a flow of the processingperformed while the CPU 201 loads the control program stored the ROM 202or the HDD 204 into the RAM 203 and executes the control program will bedescribed. FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the flow of thisprocessing. This flow chart starts when the image forming apparatus 200accepts a new print job. It is assumed that the accepted print job iscomposed of instruction information for instructing the print on bothfaces in the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3A and print data of aprint target received from the host apparatus 211. It is however notedthat in the case of the duplex print in the arrangement different fromthat in FIG. 3A, only the page arrangement is different, and a conditionis similar in which the print on the first face is continuouslyperformed, and thereafter, the print on the opposite face iscontinuously performed. Also, in a case where the total page number isan odd number, a case where the print on one face is performs onlypartially, or the like, a face with no printed image exists. Also, anexample will be described in a case where the interruption factor is thesheet shortage, but the processing is carried out in a similar procedurealso in the case of other interruption factors as described above.

First, in S401, it is determined that the remaining sheet used in theaccepted print job can be determined. In a case where the remainingsheet can be determined, the flow progresses to S403, and in a casewhere the remaining sheet cannot be determined, the flow progresses toS402. It is noted that in the beginning, in a case where the imageforming apparatus 200 is not provided with the function of determiningthe remaining sheet or a case where the decision on the print orderwhile taking into account the remaining sheet is not performed, the flowprogresses to S402 without performing the determination in S401.

In S402, the print order is decided in such a manner that as in FIG. 3A,all the odd-numbered pages are arranged on the front face in anascending order of the page numbers, and also, all the even-numberedpages are arranged on the back face in a descending order so that theprint is continuously performed on the respective faces of the sheet.

In S403, it is determined whether the print for all the pages on thefront face for the print job of this time can be performed with theremaining sheet. In a case where the print for all the pages can beperformed, the flow progresses to S402 from step S403 when the print forall pages can be performed, and in a case where the print for all thepages cannot be performed, the flow progresses to S404.

In S404, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, for the images before theinterruption, a change is made so that the images on the even-numberedpages are arranged on the front face and the images on the odd-numberedpages are arranged on the back face in a descending order. Also, for theimages after the interruption, a change is made as illustrated in FIG.3C.

In S405, the print of the images on the front face is performed which isdecided to perform the print first among the print data for both faces.In the step of this print, the cutting of the sheet in page unit is notperformed. Then, until it is determined in S406 that the print for allthe pages on the front face that should be continuously performed in thepreviously decided print order or it is determined in S407 that thesheet runs out, the print for the pages on the front face issequentially performed. As the print performed herein is the print jobfor the duplex print, the sheet where the print is performed on thefront face is sequentially wound up by the sheet winding-up unit 113.

In S406, in a case where it is determined that the print for all thepages on the front face is ended, the flow progresses to S410, and in acase where it is determined that the print is not ended, the flowprogresses to S407. It is noted that in S406, in a case where it isdetermined that the print for all the pages on the front face is ended,for the print on the back face, the sheet cutting by the cutter unit 110and the winding-up by the sheet winding-up unit 113 are carried out asdescribed above.

In S407, in a case where it is determined that the sheet runs out beforethe print for all the pages on the front face is ended, the flowprogresses to S408, and as described by using FIGS. 3B and 3C, the sheetis cut by the cutter unit 110, and the winding-up by the sheetwinding-up unit 113 is completed. It is however noted that the cuttingherein may not be performed in some cases depending on the locationwhere the sheet runs out.

Then, in S409, as described by using FIG. 3B, the print order ischanged. It is however noted that in a case where the flow progressesfrom S404 to S409, the print order after the interruption is alreadydecided, and this processing is skipped.

In S410, the image data for the print on the back face corresponding tothe front face where the print is completed is generated by the imageprocessing unit 207. Subsequently, in S411, while following thegenerated image data, as described above, the print of the images on theback face is sequentially performed. In S412, the sheet cutting in pageunit is performed by the cutter unit 110, and the sheet is dischargedinto one of the trays of the sorting unit 114. In FIG. 4, the tray isset as Tray 1, but the tray is not set as a fixed tray. If the print jobspecifies, the specified tray is selected, and if the print job does notspecify, one of available trays is selected.

Next, in S413, it is determined whether it is necessary to perform theprint on a new sheet. In other words, herein, the affirmativedetermination is made in a case where the print for all the pages is notended and the interruption occurs as in FIGS. 3B and 3C. In a case wherethe affirmative determination is made, the flow progresses to S414. Whenthe negative determination is made, in other words, when the print isall ended, the processing for the print job is ended here.

In S414, the sheet is newly supplied from the sheet cassette 101 a or101 b, and the remaining print of the images on the front face and theback face is executed. That is, the print after the interruptionposition in FIGS. 3B and 3C is executed in the above-described manner.

Then, in S415, it is determined whether the print order of the printexecuted in S414 is changed in S409. If the print order is changed inS409, this is the case of the example of FIG. 3C, and the sheet(s) is(are) discharged into the same tray as the tray where the sheet(s) is(are) discharged in S412 (up to the permissible number of sheets for thetray). On the other hand, in a case where the print order is not changedin S409, this is the case of the example of FIG. 3B, and the sheet(s) is(are) discharged into the a different tray from the tray where thesheet(s) is (are) discharged in S412 in order to alleviate the burden onthe user from the rearrangement as described above.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the duplexprint is performed by using the continuous sheet, in a case where afterthe images arranged on the first face are continuously printed, theimages on the opposite side are printed, even when the print isinterrupted before the print of the continuous number of sheet expectedon the first face is ended, it is possible to appropriately deal withthe situation.

That is, as in the example of FIG. 3B, by changing the expected printorder during the printing of the print job is performed because of theoccurrence of the interruption factor, without wasting the sheet wherethe print on the first face is performed, it is possible to execute theprint on the opposite side. Also, at this time, as the dischargedestinations are varied before and after the interruption, the sheetsfor the print job having different orders are not mixed, and it ispossible to alleviate the trouble for the user to perform therearrangement. Also, according to the above-described embodiment, themixture of the sheets is prevented by varying the trays at the dischargedestination, but the configuration is not limited to this. The mixtureof the sheets before and after the interruption can be prevented throughvarious methods, for example, by discharging the sheets before theinterruption and the sheets after the interruption while beingrespectively shifted in the same tray and by providing a partitioningsheet at a boundary before and after the interruption. In either case,any method may be used as long as the discharged sheet(s) before theinterruption can be distinguished from the discharged sheet(s) after theinterruption.

Also, as in the example of FIG. 3C, as the interruption is previouslypredicted to occur, and the print order is decided on the basis of theprediction, without wasting the sheet where the images are printedbefore the interruption, the print job can be completed. Furthermore, atthis time, it is possible to discharge the sheets for the print job inan appropriate order without changing the tray before and after theinterruption, and the trouble for the user to take out the sheets can bealleviated.

Also, in the above description, the sheet cutting by the cutter unit 110is performed in job unit, page unit, or the like, the configuration isnot limited to this. That is, the image forming apparatus 200 is notprovided with the cutter unit 110, the images on the first face areprinted until the set sheet runs out in the sheet cassette, and afterthe sheet is used up until the end, the print on the opposite face maybe performed. At this time, the user cuts the sheet by using aseparately provided cutting apparatus. Also, it is not necessary tocontinue the print on the first face until the sheet runs out. Beforethe sheet runs out, by the user, cutting of the sheet is performed usinga cutting device, the face of the sheet is changed, and the sheet is setagain, and then the print on the second face may be performed by theimage forming apparatus 200.

It is noted that in the above description, a processing such asscheduling of the print order or the like other than the part forperforming the print is realized by an external apparatus such as a hostapparatus or an external controller, and while following that, the imageforming apparatus may be caused to execute the print. At that time, theexternal apparatus obtains a status (information on occurrence of theabove-described interruption factor or the like) from the image formingapparatus to decide the print order or the arrangement of the images. Inthis case, this external apparatus functions as the print controlapparatus.

Also, the embodiments are also realized by executing the followingprocessing. That is, the processing is executed in which software(program) for realizing the above-described function of the embodimentis supplied to a system or an apparatus via a network or various storagemedium, and a computer (a CPU, an MPU, or the like) of the system or theapparatus reads out and executes the program. Also, the program may beexecuted by a single computer or a plurality of computers operativelyassociated with each other. Also, all of the above-described processingsare not necessarily realized by the software, and a part or all of theprocessings may be realized by hardware. In an example, acomputer-readable medium or a computer-readable storage medium may storea program that causes a print control apparatus to perform a methoddescribed herein. In another example, a central processing unit (CPU)may be configured to control at least one unit utilized in a method orapparatus described herein.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a determination unitconfigured to determine, before a start of printing of a print job,whether the print job is to be printed on a second continuous sheet,which is different from a first continuous sheet, during execution ofthe printing of the print job; a decision unit configured to decide, ina case where the determination unit determines, before the start of theprinting of the print job, that the print job is to be printed on thesecond continuous sheet during execution of the printing of the printjob, a print order of printing the print job on the first continuoussheet and a print order of printing the print job on the secondcontinuous sheet in a manner such that sheets on which printing has beenexecuted and are discharged are arranged according to page order; and aprint control unit configured to cause a print unit to execute theprinting on the first continuous sheet and the second continuous sheetbased on the print job in accordance with the print order decided by thedecision unit.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thedecision unit decides the print order of printing the print job in amanner such that, in a case where one or more sheets made by printingthe print job on the first continuous sheet and cutting the firstcontinuous sheet by a cutter, and one or more sheets made by printingthe print job on the second continuous sheet and cutting the secondcontinuous sheet by a cutter are discharged to a same dischargedestination, the discharged sheets are arranged either in an ascendingorder of page numbers or in a descending order of page numbers.
 3. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where thedetermination unit determines that the print job is to be printed on thesecond continuous sheet during execution of the printing of the printjob, the decision unit decides the print order of printing the print jobto be different from page order of the print job.
 4. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a first specifying unitconfigured to specify a remaining amount of the first continuous sheet;and a second specifying unit configured to specify an amount of acontinuous sheet subject to be used for printing the print job thereon,wherein the decision unit decides the print order of printing the printjob based on the remaining amount of the first continuous sheet,specified by the first specifying unit, and the amount of the continuoussheet subject to be used for printing the print job thereon, specifiedby the second specifying unit.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4,further comprising a third specifying unit configured to specify towhich pages the printing of the print job can be executed on the firstcontinuous sheet, wherein the decision unit decides the print order ofprinting the print job based on a result of the third specifying unit.6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein each of the remainingamount of the continuous sheet and the amount of the continuous sheetsubject to be used for printing the print job thereon is a length of thecontinuous sheet.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thedetermination unit determines that the print job is to be printed on thesecond continuous sheet during execution of the printing of the printjob in a case where a sheet shortage occurs during execution of theprint job.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printcontrol unit causes the print unit to execute the printing on both sidesof the continuous sheet in a manner such that the print unitcontinuously prints a plurality of image to be arranged on a first sideof the continuous sheet and then continuously prints a plurality ofimages to be arranged on a second side of the continuous sheet.
 9. Theapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the print unit. 10.The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cutting unitconfigured to cut the continuous sheet printed by the print unit intosheets by controlling a cutter.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein, in a case where the determination unit determines that data isto be printed on a single side of the continuous sheet, the cutting unitcuts the printed continuous sheet on a predetermined unit basis, andwherein, in a case where the determination unit determines that the datais to be printed on both sides of the continuous sheet, the cutting unitdoes not cut the continuous sheet on the predetermined unit basis inprinting on a first side of the continuous sheet and cuts the continuoussheet on the predetermined unit basis in printing on a second side. 12.The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, in a case where thedetermination unit determines that the data is to be printed on bothsides of the continuous sheet, the cutting unit cuts the continuoussheet at an end of printing on the first side of the continuous sheetafter completion of printing the data of pages to be arranged on thefirst side of the continuous sheet.
 13. The apparatus according to claim10, further comprising a discharge unit configured to control receivingof the discharged sheets made by cutting the continuous sheet via thecutting unit.
 14. A method comprising: determining, before a start ofprinting of a print job, whether the print job is to be printed on asecond continuous sheet, which is different from a first continuoussheet, during execution of the printing of the print job; deciding, in acase where determining determines, before the start of the printing ofthe print job, that the print job is to be printed on the secondcontinuous sheet during execution of the printing of the print job, aprint order of printing the print job on the first continuous sheet anda print order of printing the print job on the second continuous sheetin a manner such that sheets on which printing has been executed and aredischarged are arranged according to page order; and causing a printunit to execute the printing on the first continuous sheet and thesecond continuous sheet based on the print job in accordance with thedecided print order.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing a program to cause an apparatus, capable of causing aprint unit to print data on a continuous sheet, to perform a method, themethod comprising: determining, before a start of printing of a printjob, whether the print job is to be printed on a second continuoussheet, which is different from a first continuous sheet, duringexecution of the printing of the print job; deciding, in a case wheredetermining determines, before the start of the printing of the printjob, that the print job is to be printed on the second continuous sheetduring execution of the printing of the print job, a print order ofprinting the print job on the first continuous sheet and a print orderof printing the print job on the second continuous sheet in a mannersuch that sheets on which printing has been executed and are dischargedare arranged according to page order; and causing the print unit toexecute the printing on the first continuous sheet and the secondcontinuous sheet based on the print job in accordance with the decidedprint order.